Originally Posted by
lsquare
I ended up canceling the trip to Buenos Aires and went to Singapore instead. I'm eager to get BA off my list sometime in 2023. It seems like a lot has changed, especially with credit card transactions being charged a rate similar to the blue rate? However, what's the Visa/MasterCard acceptance rate like? Is cash still king? If I want to stay at a Marriott, Hyatt, or Hilton, how should I book to get the lowest rate? Any other changes I need to be aware of?
Thx!
I'm not sure what you mean by cash being king in Argentina. Cards are accepted almost everywhere in the country; the question is what conversion rate you'll get with a foreign card. When I was last in Argentina in 2019, hotels were required to post their prices in pesos and accept payment in pesos. With the international chains, if you book through their international reservations system you'll almost certainly end up getting quoted a dollar price that will be rather less attractive than what you could get. I'd suggest checking the peso price online or with a phone agent, then calling the hotel directly and seeing if they'll quote you a better rate in pesos directly. Then you can get pesos however you want in Argentina.